Improvement in power - should I be sceptical?

wavefront

Been riding with a pm for 6 months and as this keeps me very disciplined in my training sessions, my numbers from 10min->FTP are improving really well. My power profile is much more of a 'diesel' with my shorter periods falling off the chart very badly. However, today I did a hill climb event 1.5mins long and got my best 1min power by quite a jump (7w/kg -> 9.1w/kg) so was quite surprised. Over the last few weeks I have been doing a lot of bursts on longer endurance rides, or much shorter rides with 2min intervals at 1.3x FTP + but always seem to fail before the 5-8 rep set is over and didn't think I was getting anywhere.

Should I be that surprised to see such an improvement just based on the intervals? Or should I be a little skeptical about my PM readings today (power2max) - Or did it help that the it was a hill, and I had a number on my back?

It now makes my max and 5s seem appalling ('untrained' if you were to refer to Coggans power profile table). Maybe some short intervals for the next month!

Thanks in advance.

napoleond

I'm untrained or barely scraping 'Cat 5' on that chart in all disciplines, yet in a race I'm freaking AWESOME*



*Average

wavefront

Thanks guys.

I don't post that often but, read alot of your posts. You've both got racecraft which also helps, which isn't on coggans tables!! I'm still learning that.

Madasahattersley - you see that's why I'm skeptical, as I don't see myself as good!! Call it a confidence thing. As for absolutes, I'm 275 FTP @68kg. So yeah, and improvement of approx 150w is why I'm surprised.

That also said, I've never gone out to do a 1 min best it's always been measured as part of a longer ride - today was a hill climb so not much riding other than a warm up so very fresh legs.

Alex_Simmons/RST

Very few people properly test their 1-minute power capability, and as such it's a duration that's often understated in a mean maximal power curve.

bahzob

I think you can trust the figures. As mentioned above the effect of competition may well have a significant effect on your numbers. This will probably be the case through the whole power curve but especially so for areas that are outside of your comfort zone. Certainly the case for me.

Likely truth is that no-one ever reaches 100% of the capability. Evolution has developed a hierarchy of fail-safe measures, some physical, some mental to act as checks that the risk of extreme exercise is warranted by potential reward/danger avoidance. Learning to understand and override these is part and parcel of training.

Bit unethical but I would guess that an experiment where you asked someone to ride to escape being chased by a tiger they would set a whole series of new PBs

This is why visualisation can be handy during training. A good thing about doing competitions is that the experience can be used to help push when alone e.g. doing short intervals try to imagine and recapture the feeling of being in the hill climb event. You may not hit the same highs but may well do better than just trying to hit a wattage target.

guinea

Try tramadol.

wavefront

guinea wrote:

Try tramadol.

I know you meant this as a bit of humour, but having watched my wife and another good friend go through 'hell' because of this drug I tend to lose my sense of humour with this. It's not a narcotic, but it's effects are as good as. I think it's one of the most dangerous drugs around.

Sorry, you touched a raw nerve, I'll get off my soap box and try to find my humour again!

Alex and Bahzob, thanks.

Bahzob, I might just try your suggestions. I can certainly say I've experienced that sometimes it's my brain that will not allow me to push despite the legs saying 'maybe lets give it a go'.

napoleond

I find it amusing when I'm training and 'visualise' an actual attack I've done in a race or visualise scenarios where I will attack or sprint and my HR skyrockets!